Raven
by JennMel
Summary: ‘The Raven’s Eye Will Watch Over and Protect You, Forever and Always’. Hopefully this will hold true for the whole Fellowship... My first fic. Anonymous reviews accepted. DISCONTINUED.
1. Birthday Surprise

Disclaimer: I only own the things that you don't recognise. I am not making money from anything I write.

Author Notes: I'm British, so when I say college, I mean what you would call the last 2 years of High School (I think that's right). You basically go there from 16 to 18. Also, a GCSE is an important exam that you take at 16. I don't think this is a Mary-Sue story; it wasn't intentional if it is, I'm really not clear on what defines that kind of story. Please ask if you want to use my character and this is my first fic so reviews are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 1: Birthday Surprise

"Happy Birthday, my Raven." Jack Walters smiled at breakfast, sliding a small box across the table to his daughter.

"_Daaad!_ I'm eighteen now, aren't I a bit old for pet names?" Rachel kissed her father and picked up the box, "I also said that I didn't want any presents."

"Ahh, but technically you said that before you were an adult, so I didn't need to listen to you. And you will never be too old for me to embarrass you with cute little names"

Rachel threw a dirty look at her Dad; she always found his 'humour' annoying. Turning her attention to the box, she carefully undid the silver ribbon and took off the lid. Nestled in some black silk cloth was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was black stone, as dark as night, set in a brilliantly silver backing of twisted leaves that curled around their stone. The chain was also of delicate silver, as thin as spider silk. Turning it over, there was an inscription reading:

'_The Raven's Eye Will Watch Over and Protect You, Forever and Always_'

"Wow, Dad, it's, it's…" For a rare moment, Rachel was lost for words. This time, however, her sentence was finished for her.

"It was your mother's." Rachel froze and looked up into her Dad's dark brown eyes. "She wanted you to have it on your eighteenth birthday." Rachel's Mum had been in a car crash when Rachel was too little to remember, Eve Walters had died a few hours later in hospital.

"Dad…" Tears welled up in Rachel's dark blue eyes that were so dark they were almost black. Her father pulled back her fine, jet black hair and clasped the necklace against her pale skin.

Pulling his daughter into a hug, tears springing to his eyes too, Jack Walters whispered, "I will love you whatever happens, and when I can no longer be with you, don't miss me, because your mother will always be beside you, I promise." He then pulled away, clasped her shoulders and said, "Hurry, you're going to be late for college!"

Reluctantly tearing herself away from her Dad, Rachel pulled away, grabbed her bag, kissed him on the cheek, smiled a 'see you later' and ran out the door to meet with Emma, her best friend. At the time, she never considered just how strange her father's promise was. Jack watched his daughter run down the driveway and round the corner, he felt tears running down his cheek, knowing that would be the last time he saw his Raven. Turning back into the house, he whispered, voice cracking, "I've done my part Evelir, now it's your turn to keep her safe from our world."

Emma had had a very boring day and, being the true friend that she was, Rachel was putting up with her complaints. "Why did I take English Lit? I'm appalling at it!" Emma moaned.

"You're over reacting. You got a B in your last essay. I would've killed for a B in my English GCSE!" Rachel kicked a stone at a nearby tree and fingered her necklace, Emma was always the perfectionist.

"Yeah, well apparently a B is 'just not good enough'. Mum almost killed me; you know she wants me to follow in Chris' footsteps." Chris was Emma's older brother, a budding journalist. "You don't know what it's like; all you do is act all day."

"Oh, get over it." Rachel sighed; she had taken a full time acting course. "Look, I'm going home to get changed for tonight."

"'Kay, I'll meet you at your house at 8." For Rachel's birthday, they were all planning to go clubbing; something her Dad had forbade her not to do until she was eighteen since a very nasty incident involving a bouncer and too much alcohol at Emma's eighteenth. Needless to say, her Dad had not been a happy bunny when he found out.

Walking through one of the many parks of Bristol, Rachel started to feel slightly light headed. Slowing her pace, she breathed deeply, thinking that perhaps she had exerted herself a bit too much in last period, where they had been running around like maniacs in a mass improvisation.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Rachel's vision started to blur and she had to stop and lean against a tree. Her breathing became short and ragged, and her mind seem detached from the world around her. Dimly, as she grasped for her mother's necklace, she noticed that the sound of the wind and distant cars seemed to be fading in and out, like someone was playing with the volume controls on a T.V. Suddenly, the cold metal and stone clasped in her palm began to grow slightly warm, then hot, then searing. The painful heat spread through her body, and her vision went white with fire. The last thing she remembered was a continuous scream, high and agonised, coming from the distant part of her brain that was still trying to hold on to the only world she could remember.

To Be Continued…


	2. A Bad Sense of Humour

Chapter 2: A Bad Sense of Humour

A quiet murmuring of voices penetrated Rachel's senses as she began to regain consciousness. Her head dully throbbed as she began to focus. There were, she had now determined, two voices, apparently arguing over who she was. Inwardly sighing, Rachel knew she would have to leave the cradle of comfortable half-sleep and open up to the world. As she opened her eyes she became aware that she was in a relatively large room, lying in a feathery bed, with soft sunlight filtering through the window onto her face. Rachel turned her head slightly, wincing as the throbbing increased a notch, to put faces to the two people that were arguing over her. Prior to this moment, Rachel had thought that a double-take was something only seen in corny comedies, but when she looked at the two faces, her brain seemed to need a second look to determine whether she was right the first time. After it had done so, she was suddenly very wide awake, "BLOODY HELL!"

The two people turned in surprise and immediately made towards Rachel. Although their actions were in concern, it only made her more agitated. Rachel frantically began scrambling around, trying to get away, or at least to sit up. Neither it seemed, were going to be possible; as soon as she lifted herself no more than a few inches from the pillow, a combined wave of dizziness and nausea hit her with full force, causing her to lie back down. 'Oh God,' thought Rachel, 'Why do they have to look exactly like they do in the film?'

Staring worriedly down at her was none other than Gandalf and Lord Elrond, exact replicas of how they had looked on the silver screen. "My Lady," spoke Gandalf softly, "Calm yourself, we mean you no harm. I am Gandalf, and this is Lord Elrond, whose house it is in that you reside. May I enquire as to your name and origin?"

Rachel could only stare, petrified. It all flooded back to her, the pain, the heat. Unconsciously, she groped for her necklace, which she found, cold as ice, against her chest. Elrond took her silence for feeling a little ill so said, "The sick feeling will pass my lady. You were found by a patrol early yesterday morning, hot with a fever that has only recently broken."

Finally, Rachel snapped herself out of her stupor, reasoning with herself that, though she may be in Middle Earth, at least she was in no immediate danger. "My name is Rachel, and although I could tell you where I come from, you wouldn't have heard of it in a million years, I can promise you that." Before either could reply, there was a knock and an elf entered. He then said something in what Rachel presumed was elvish before retreating.

Frowning, Gandalf turned to Elrond and muttered something along the lines of being excused and being worried about someone. Turning back to Rachel he apologised, "I am sorry my lady, but I must excuse myself." With that, he quickly swept out of the room.

"I will send for someone to tend to you my lady; you should feel fine in a day, elvish healing is most affective when concerning human ailments. I must also excuse myself, although I would like to resume this conversation when you are feeling better." Elrond bowed and left the room just as hurriedly as Gandalf.

Frowning at their odd behaviour, Rachel stared at the ceiling, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. She must have dozed off, because when she awoke, sunlight was streaming through in all its brilliance. She didn't have to wonder what had woken her for long, because at that moment a smiling, perfect elven face looked down on her. "My lady, you are awake! You have been asleep for over a day since Lord Elrond last saw you, he was worried that you might have relapsed. My name is Bellethewyn. How may I be of service?"

"I've been asleep for that long? Wow, a guess travelling to another world has that effect on you." Rachel muttered.

"My lady?"

"Never mind," sighed Rachel, "and my name's not 'my lady' it's Rachel, and I would be grateful if you used it."

"Of course Lady Rachel."

Groaning, but knowing that was as close as she was going to get, Rachel turned her attention to something more important, "Where are my clothes?"

"I am not certain, but this wardrobe is full of clothes, so I am sure we will be able to find you something," beamed Bellethewyn.

An hour later, Rachel was looking at herself in a mirror in badly disguised disgust. She had been forced in to a light blue meringue of a dress, with all of the trimmings. Rachel had never been a big fan of dresses, but had been known to tolerate them. This, however, was a step too far. Bellethewyn on the other hand, thought it was perfect. "Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you. I think this dress suits such a purpose. In fact, I should take you to him now; it would not do to be late."

Rachel leaned against the balcony outside Elrond's study, waiting for him to arrive. Quietly, she watched the elves go about their daily business and noted just how _perfect _this Rivendell really was. Normally, Rachel found the silence of the countryside unnerving, but here it just…fitted.

A commotion below Rachel jerked her out of her reverie. Looking down, she jumped slightly at seeing exact copies of Bilbo and Arwen, just like the film. They were arguing about something. Leaning closer, Rachel managed to catch a few words from Bilbo. "I demand to at least talk to your father Lady Arwen, for I am dreadfully worried about Frodo and no one has spoken a word to me of his condition."

"Frodo was stabbed Bilbo and is very sick, but my father is certain of recovery." Arwen was clearly trying to comfort the old hobbit, "Come, we will try and find Gandalf."

As they walked off, Rachel groaned and looked skyward, now it all made sense. "You know," she muttered to no one in particular, "you have a sense of humour worse than my Dad's. Not only do you dump me in a world that by all rights should never have left its perfectly good home of a DVD, in a dress that looks like a reject from circus tent auditions, but you go the whole hog and put me in right before the biggest war this place is likely to experience! Thanks a bunch."

"My lady? Who are you talking to?"

Spinning around, Rachel came face to face with Elrond giving her a very strange look, "Jeez! Don't do that! You wanna give me a heart attack?"

"I apologise my lady, I did not mean to scare you."

"Rachel. It's Rachel." They both returned inside and Elrond gestured for her to be seated.

"I apologise that Gandalf could not also be here, but he is…in disposed." Elrond sat down opposite Rachel and leaned forward against his desk.

"Yeah, I know, I guess he's with Frodo. I mean, the guy got stabbed by, oh what's his name?" Rachel searched for the right name; having not been a major fanatic of Lord of the Rings in the first place and only ever having seen the films, some of the more obscure details were not very well known to her. "The Witch King, that's it." Rachel grinned at her achievement.

Elrond looked shocked, then his voice grew dark and weary, "How is it that you know of something that no one without coming into contact with Frodo should know?"

"I, I err…." Rachel struggled for words, how was she to explain to an all powerful elf that where she came from, he was created by a fiction writer? Sighing, Rachel decided to explain everything that would not affect the future of Middle Earth. Fingering her necklace for support, she began, "I come from a place called Great Britain, one of the many countries on Earth. Not Middle Earth, just plain Earth. I have no idea how I got here, and have an even less of an idea of how to get home. Where I live, you are all characters in a trilogy of books, a complete work of fiction. I know that there is something very important about to happen, and I know how this is going to end."

"How is this possible?" Elrond needed to know.

Although his voice had been gentle, Rachel was beginning to reach her limit. "I told you. I. Don't. Know." Elrond opened his mouth again, but Rachel had already blown. She began to rise to her feet, screaming at him, "D'you think that I planned this? Do you think I wanna stay here? I don't give a _damn _about your stupid war. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't REAL!"

In her rage, she had made it over to the window again. Elrond went over to her and spoke up, now sure that she had expended herself. "I understand how you feel. I also realise that what you know could change the future of this world; it is the curse of future knowledge. That is why I offer to you a home here, until we can sort this mess out. Is that acceptable? Rachel?"

The use of her normal name, with no titles attached made Rachel smile. Looking up at Elrond, her smile broke into a grin and she nodded. He made everything sound so easy. Then the sound of hooves brought her attention to the outside. Her eyes were first drawn to a blonde elf; Legolas. He made her feel even calmer; it seemed to be the effect most elves had on her. Then her eyes shifted to a man. With a jolt of realisation, Rachel began backing away. Arrows filled her vision as she relived the moment of the film where Boromir was shot, and then died. Bile rose in her throat and she fled from the room, leaving a shocked Elrond staring after her.

Rachel did not know how she had got there, but she had ended up in a secluded garden. Unable to hold it down any longer, Rachel threw up – not that there was much there in the first place; she hadn't eaten since college. Having spent herself, Rachel slid down a tree to curl up on the ground. Fiercely she sobbed, "You idiot, this isn't fantasy, this is real! Those won't be CG animations getting squashed by Oliphants; it won't be a couple of extras or good actors getting hit with specially designed swords. It'll be _real_ people, with_ real_ families who miss them and…oh god!" Burying her head in her arms, Rachel submitted herself to the floods of tears and cried, and cried, and cried.


	3. Finding Family

Author Notes: Thanks to Prophet-Song for the review. Just to warn you this entire chapter is going way off into AU. It will also be wordy.

Chapter 3: Finding Family

"Why do you cry young one?" A voice, soft with compassion, reached Rachel's ears.

Raising her head to try and clear her thoughts, so she could at least put a coherent answer together, her eyes were met with a slightly unnerving vision of a person. It was a woman, clearly not elven; her ears and clothes gave that away. It was not that which made Rachel nervous, it was the familiarity of the face that, however hard she tried, she could just not put a name to. Struggling to her feet, her head still feeling hot and stuffy from crying, Rachel started looking for an escape route from embarrassment. Before she could do anything, the woman's soft hand wiped away the tears that still streaked Rachel's face and then gently took her hand and began to lead her through the garden. Rachel finally found her voice, "I'm sorry, but I err…I gotta find Lord Elrond to apologise."

They had reached a small door, half hidden by ivy, "He will not mind. He understands that you are different, that you do not belong." The woman pulled away the ivy and opened the door, leading Rachel through after her.

For one wild moment, Rachel had the notion that this woman was taking her home, away from all of the madness. It was not to be. Rachel found herself in a _huge_, brilliantly white room. Although no expert, Rachel knew this was definitely not elven. The woman spoke first, "We needed somewhere where we could talk in private Raven."

"I'm sorry, but you're mistaken, my name's Rachel. I also have to be somewhere else. Bye." Rachel was now totally freaked; she was alone in a room with a stranger. That stranger also happened to know a pet name of her Dad's. She had to get out of there.

Turning to grab the door handle, Rachel found that it wasn't there. Neither was the door. Whipping back around to face the woman, she growled, "Let me out."

"Calm yourself Raven. I mean you know harm. I do not believe I have introduced myself. My name is Evelir, but if I go by my human name, I am Eve Walters." She smiled, waiting for the words to sink in.

"Screw you. My mum's very much dead, and you are not her!" But even as she said these words, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She realised that she did not recognise the woman as such, but her image could be an older version of Rachel's reflection. The dark eyes and hair, the pale skin, but for now, Rachel was very happy to stay in denial.

"Really? Did you see your mother on her deathbed? Do you remember the funeral? Do you remember anything of your first few years of life? No? Then how can you be sure that what you think you know is the truth?"

Tears sprang to Rachel's eyes as she realised what the woman said was true. Holding her head, she tried to make sense of it all. Making up her mind, she leaned against a wall, "Alright, first, quit it with the rhetorical, designed-to-confuse questions, they're making my head hurt. Here's the deal, I'll listen to you, but I don't have to believe you. After I've heard you out, you let me leave."

Evelir nodded in consent. "You and I are from a race of women known as the Watchers. We have watched over Middle Earth and its people for millennia and are its only inhabitants that have knowledge of other worlds beyond this one. As a rule, we tend to watch and account the history of Middle Earth, but once in a while something happens that means we must interfere; this something is usually an event, or beginning of events that will, if allowed to continue its course, affect all races, including our own.

"If something like this is going to happen, a child will be born that will be more than just a Watcher, she will have the power to interfere, to be seen for what she is by the other races of Middle Earth. For you see, Raven, the Watchers cannot be seen by anyone, not even the elves, unless it is their time to have a child.

"Twenty years ago, I became visible to all races. This meant that I was to have a child. As I have said, the Watchers are all female, so we must find a partner amongst the other races. I chose your father, a rider of Rohan."

At this, Rachel could not contain herself. "WHAT! My Dad is from Rohan? As in Middle Earth Rohan? I-"

"Please let me finish Raven." After being sure that Rachel would have no more outbursts, Evelir continued, "When you were born, I knew that you were not an ordinary Watcher. Normally, when the child is born, both mother and daughter disappear and all who have come into contact with them forget of their existence. When this did not happen, I sought counsel with one of our leaders. She gave me the necklace that you now wear, and told me that it was your destiny to solve the problem of the ring of power and its master, Sauron.

"I raised you in Edoras for two years with your father; you were named Raven, after the Raven's Eye that you now carry. In those two years, I yet again became pregnant. This time I knew that I would 'disappear' when the child was born. I made the decision to tell your father everything. Needless to say he was shocked, and I believe hated me for a long time after. I sent him and you away to live in another world, where you would grow up away from the knowledge of Sauron and orcs, where you could grow without fear for your life. Growing up there would ensure that you turned out with the correct morals. Your father must have changed your name as closure from his old life and me."

Rachel was blown away. This was insane, but more worryingly, it actually made sense, in a twisted kind of way. "So, you're saying that I'm some chosen one who has to, what? Take the ring to Mordor instead of Frodo?"

"Not at all. That task is for Frodo and him alone. You must make sure he manages to complete it."

"But I know he does. I've seen the film and I have it on good authority that he does in the book too."

Evelir sighed, "Some things do not make it to paper, and even less make it to film. We cannot take the chance of failure; we have failed twice in concern to the ring and cannot afford to do so again. You must recognise those things that do not belong, and help defeat them. At all costs, you must protect Frodo."

"What do you mean, failed twice? Have you guys done this before?"

"One like you attempted to stop Sauron forging the One Ring, but was too late and thus was destroyed by him in Mount Doom. The second like you was to ensure that Isildur destroyed the Ring, but she failed also; Sauron killed her before the sword was even broken."

"Why me?" Groaned Rachel, "I can't protect myself, let alone Frodo. I'm also a girl, they'd never let me join them on their testosterone fuelled voyage."

"The issue of protection will be solved after you have a place in the Fellowship. I can also promise you that Frodo will accept you on the Quest, if you ask him directly and not Elrond or any of the others."

"But…but…" Rachel was running out of excuses.

"However," Evelir began moving over to a wall, and out of no where, a wardrobe appeared, "you will not be taken seriously in that balloon of a dress."

00000000000000000

Rachel stared. She did notlook like, well, _her_. She was dressed in a kind of grey silk. She had a long, ankle length skirt and a matching top with a low neck, leaving her necklace in full view. She wore no shoes and her hair was pulled into a single braid. Although she hated to admit it, she did feel more like a Raven than a Rachel. Evelir finally handed her a long open robe that dragged along the floor, also grey, with long sleeves. What attracted Rachel to it was the many symbols embroidered on it, which she presumed bore some relevance to the Watchers. She then realised Evelir had started speaking, "While you were here, time has moved more than it seems. The Council of Elrond is imminent and Frodo has recovered as much as he will. You must attend." Rachel noticed that the door had returned, "After the council, you are to return here. I will not be here, but your brother will be-"

"Whoa, brother? I thought you said the Watchers were female!"

"That as a general rule is true. However, like those that can be seen, sometimes males are also born. There are two living at the moment. One, your brother and as for the second, I am not sure as to where he is; I do not believe he or his mother were returned to us after his birth. He may have as much of a part in this as you, although I cannot be certain. Do not fear Raven, you will succeed, and I will see both you and your father when this is over."

"I can't do this."

"Raven, I know you don't believe me, but I love you, and know you _can_ do this. After the council, you will meet a boy not much younger than you with golden hair and crystal clear blue eyes. He is your brother and goes by the name of Falcon. Now hurry, you will be late."

"Falcon? You really had a thing for bird names didn't you?" Rachel arched an eyebrow.

"GO!"

"Going! Bye, er…Mum."

Rachel went to the door and yanked it open. Without glancing back, Raven left the room.

To Be Continued…


	4. The Council of Elrond

Author Notes: Okay, I apologise for the massive delay, but I'm now on holiday and I am fresh from a back-to-back extended version marathon of LOTR sleepover. Thanks again to Prophet-Song for the reviews! I will try and update soon.

Bold italics are the 'thoughts' of Raven.

Chapter 4: The Council of Elrond

Raven padded out of the garden in search of the Council. She hurried through the maze that was Rivendell until she paused for breath, looking around for an elf to ask directions. That was until she saw two sneaky little hobbits whispering to each other going off in a purposeful direction; Merry and Pippin. Smirking to herself, she silently followed them, her bare feet making no sound.

The two hobbits sneaked off round a corner, but Raven had seen the Council gathering and sitting down. Walking purposefully over to Elrond, causing many a confused look in regards to her clothing to go her way, Raven turned so her back to the Council and whispered to Elrond, "Will you let me attend the Council? I want to make sure the out come is what it should be." It was almost true.

Elrond nodded, although he looked like he wanted to ask her where she had been. A dark haired elf produced another chair and Raven sat down on Frodo's right. Butterflies started bouncing off the insides of Raven's stomach and she had to clasp her hands together to stop them shaking; this was it.

Elrond rose from his feet and began, "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate-this one doom." Raven watched as he turned to Frodo, "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Tentatively, Frodo rose and placed the ring on the pedestal. Looking extremely relieved, he turned and retreated to his seat in between Gandalf and Raven. Raven turned expectantly towards Boromir as he began, "So it is true…" Raven felt her necklace grow warm against her chest, as if it was angered by his speaking. Boromir rose and addressed the whole Council, "In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found…Isildur's Bane…" Boromir reached towards it.

It all happened so suddenly, Elrond yelled to Boromir then Gandalf started speaking in a horrible tongue. The air darkened and the words vibrated through the souls of all that were present: "_Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._" Inside Raven's head a small voice whispered the translation: "**_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them._**"

The voice made Raven freeze. Where had it come from? Then she touched the Raven's Eye and knew; it was still warm. The events of the Council played on as Raven listened to the Eye, it was telling her some strange rhyme, although for what reason Raven could only fathom. It then repeated her mother's words, "**_Some things do not make it to paper, and even less make it to film._**" Frowning, Raven turned her sight outwards once more to catch Frodo standing up and calling over the arguing crowd, "I will take it! I will take it!" The Council all turned in disbelief, while Raven watched silently, being the only one still sitting down. Frodo continued, "I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way."

Now, it must be said that even though Raven was not one of those people that knew the film off by heart, she did know what should have happened next, and it was definitely _not _what followed. Boromir was the first to speak up, "Do not be a fool Halfling; this is a matter for the wiser races, not naïve children such as your race."

Then Gandalf, of all people, joined in, "Boromir is right Frodo, you should not concern yourself with these matters."

Murmurs of agreement washed around the other Council members. Raven really felt for Frodo then; there he was, standing in front of a bunch of scary people twice the size of him, offering a solution to their problem, the _right _solution at that and now they were ganging up on him! The Eye burned for a second, and Raven knew she would have to intervene.

In one swift movement, Raven was on her feet and took the position where Gandalf should have stood had he been co-operative with the film. Placing both of her hands on each of Frodo's shoulders, she gave them a comforting squeeze, took a deep breath and turned defiantly toward the wizard and stated loudly, "With all due respect Gandalf, Boromir is an Arse."

That got an immediate reaction, mainly of outrage, but Raven didn't really care, for she had achieved both of her goals; she had got Elrond's attention and Frodo's shoulders had relaxed. Raising her voice over the babble, she repeated the rhyme that the Eye had told her:

"Seek for the Sword that was broken:

In Imladris it dwells;

There shall be counsels taken

Stronger than Morgul-spells.

There shall be shown a token

That Doom is near at hand,

For Isildur's Bane shall waken,

And the Halfling forth shall stand."

Raven waited for her words to sink in to her audience before continuing, "That was the dream right Boromir? Well, I think you missed the key point there, although I can hardly blame you. You, of course, would pick up on 'Isildur's Bane', being so self absorbed in your _wiser_ race as you are. The key line in it is, in fact, 'The Halfling forth shall stand'. So unless you are all standing on each others' shoulders, I think that the only one here that classes as a Halfling is Frodo and to me it looks as if he is standing forth. Trust me when I say, this rhyme is not kidding, he is the only one here that comes close to doing what you want to do." Throwing one last dirty look at the tempted Boromir, who seemed to be now calming down to his normal self (the one that Raven could feel at least some compassion towards), she turned towards Elrond.

"Is this truly as it must be Lady Rachel?" It was Gandalf.

Giving herself a slight mental shake, for she had gotten so used to the name Raven, she had almost forgotten her old name, she nodded. She then took that opportunity to move to the side of Elrond so that everyone else could have their 'You have my' moment.

After Merry and Pippin had joined the Fellowship, Elrond was about to announce them as The Nine, and then Raven stepped forward, causing him to pause. She knelt in front of Frodo and spoke clearly, "I don't think we've been introduced. My name is Raven." Elrond and Gandalf exchanged looks at this new fact, "Although it probably doesn't mean much, I also offer you my protection. I promise that I'll help you get to Mordor, whatever happens to this Fellowship"

Raven could sense the other members of the Fellowship silently object, except maybe the other Hobbits. Frodo looked straight into her eyes and smiled, "I would be honoured if you would join us to make a company of ten."

Lord Elrond begrudgingly continued his announcement, "Ten companions…So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Mentally, Raven counted down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…. "Great! Where are we going?"

000000000000

The Council had dispersed and Raven was on her way back to the garden. Footsteps then sounded behind her and she turned, expecting to meet this Falcon her mother was sending, instead she turned to meet face to face with Elrond, Gandalf and Aragorn, all of whom looked extremely pissed off. Biting her lip, Raven smiled and greeted them, "Hi, so…I was meaning to ask you, when do we leave?"

Gandalf answered, "The Fellowship of _Nine _will be leaving in a week; nine members to go against the Nine Ringwraiths. Even if there were to be a tenth member, which is not possible, it would not be a woman who would need to be protected every step of the way."

"Okay, firstly, as Ringbearer, it's Frodo's choice who gets to join him on this lovely outing, secondly, I prefer to think of myself as a young adult, I'm way too immature to be classed as a woman, and thirdly, if you guys are so number conscious, think of me as the tenth member that will match Sauron." Okay, so the last one was pushing it a bit, but she needed to make them let her come along.

Raising an eyebrow at her bizarre reasoning, Elrond put forward his argument, "That may be, but how are we to be sure that you do not wish our Quest ill. You disappear for a few days and you tell Frodo that your name is Raven, not Rachel as you told me. I get the feeling that you are deceiving us all."

"I went away for a bit and had a few revelations on why apparently I'm here. One of those was my name. I'm sorry if you guys don't trust me, but Frodo does, so I guess I'm coming along."

Finally, Aragorn put forward his very final argument, "You are not coming. You do not know how to fight, and I doubt you would be able to keep up. I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to come along, knowing that it will be the death of you."

"My skill matches that of the Hobbits. I promise you, I will come with you whether you like it or not." Having the last word, Raven turned on her heel and stalked off in search of Falcon, leaving three very shocked people behind her.

"Well, that was different," stated Aragorn.

"Indeed Estel, it would seem we have a very unique person on our hands. Come, I wish to speak with Frodo some more." Elrond and Aragorn turned, leaving Gandalf staring after Raven.

Frowning, Gandalf muttered to himself, "The garb that she wears cannot be a coincidence, but the Lady said that her race was never seen. Raven cannot be one of them, as the Lady's son is; he is the only one of his kind to exist to our eyes, now she is dead."

To Be Continued…


	5. Gifts of Protection

Author Notes: Hello again! I should be revising but here I am writing for you. I would REALLY appreciate reviews, even if you don't like it! Please! gets down on knees and begs. Anyway, meet Chapter 5, my solution to not making my character that annoying perfect and skilful girl.

Chapter 5: Gifts of Protection

Raven was fuming, but all the more determined for it. Stupid sexist pigs, she was _so_ going on this Quest. Raven was so absorbed in her mental rants that she literally collided with Falcon. The boy was about a head shorter than Raven and wore a tunic akin to what Raven wore, only black. As she picked herself up, going red with embarrassment, she was very annoyed to see a huge smirk plastered over the boy's face. "Had a fun Council Rave?"

"Falcon I presume, and for your information no I didn't. I'll also have you know I've known my name little longer than I've known you, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't shorten it."

Falcon's smirk grew, "Who said I was shortening it? It's been my nickname for you since I heard about that incident at your friend's eighteenth."

"How the hell do you know about that?" She had now gone even redder.

"You're my big sis. I made a point of looking over you so I would have lots of dirt when we finally met."

Raven gave in, "Alright, let's start over. Hi, I'm Raven, I'm your big sister and once this Quest is over, if I ever get on it that is, I will make your life a living hell."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Falcon, I'm your little brother and once this big mess of a war is over, I intend to make up for all those years I missed when I could have been annoying you. Come on, I'll show you back to the garden, you are so obviously lost"

It was back to seriousness. Raven sighed, "They won't let me on this journey. I'm beginning to think they're right, I can't even protect myself."

They had made it to the garden and Falcon led her into the room. "Ah, you see that is why I'm here, you think this is a social visit? I've seen you in P.E, you're appalling, and you have no hand-to-eye coordination what so ever."

That pulled Raven out of her worries, "YOU WHAT! You've seen me in P.E? You little sod!"

Falcon took a step back as his sister took on a maniacal, murderous look, "Hey! We agreed you'd make my life a living hell after this mess, not before. Calm down!"

Raven decided to bide her time and instead contented herself with glaring at her newly acquired brother. "Fine, so how are you going to remedy my awful physical skills?"

"Well, to start with we need to make a decent impression on those guys, and you're not going to do that in a dress." Falcon beckoned to Raven and went over to an inbuilt wardrobe, which contained one set of clothes. "Don't worry, I won't look, that would just be wrong on so many levels. In fact, think I'm going to sort out your skill problem. Falcon went over to a door nearby and disappeared.

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"I'm done!" called Raven. She was dressed in travelling clothes a lot like those that Legolas wore. It was a simple tunic, of dark colours to allow her to blend in. In addition to the tunic, she was very pleased to have a mithril shirt hidden underneath. It was almost identical to the one Frodo would receive and it gave Raven comfort knowing that if she was stabbed, she at least had a chance. She tucked the Eye under everything so that it came into contact with her skin and threw on a long dark green cloak around her shoulders, fastening it with a small silver clasp.

Falcon returned and smiled, "Please take two side steps to your left."

Confused, Raven complied. About a split second later, lots of pedestals bearing various objects flashed into being right where she had been standing, "Jesus! Are you trying to kill me before I even get going?"

"Don't whine. I'm glad you got the tunic on right."

"Yeah, it's great, thanks for the chain mail. I just have one complaint." Falcon raised an eyebrow inviting her to continue, "If you think I'm running around Middle Earth barefoot, you've got another thing coming."

"Would I be that cruel? Okay, so don't answer that one. I know for a fact your speed, endurance levels and agility in general leave much to be desired, so ordinary boots would not suit you." Falcon led his sister over to a pair of ankle high boots resting on one of the pedestals, "These boots are specially crafted. They're dragon skin, so you'll find them both durable and comfortable. They are from dragons not like Smaug, the one Bilbo met; they are from dragons of another world entirely. These dragons shed their skins for the people of their world, giving them the gifts of silence, endurance and making them very light and fast on their feet."

"Sweet, and I thought you wanted me to be killed by orcs." Raven slipped on the boots with ease. "What else?"

"Well, you are gonna need weapons." He handed her a small, plain knife, "Even you can't mess up using this one. There's a small inbuilt sheath in your right boot for it. If you're weaponless and cornered, that's what it's for."

Raven slid it in as Falcon moved on. She was pleased to note that although it came out easily with her touch, the boot seemed to grip onto it tightly when she moved. Falcon lifted up a bow and a quiver full of arrows, "It will be impossible for you to miss with these, they will _always _find their mark, even if you're mile off, with no exceptions. The bow is made of Ravenwood, which is just your size and you will have the strength to pull it. The arrows are fletched with raven feathers, so as long as you wear the Raven's Eye, they will go where you want them to, right down to the millimetre."

"I don't know how to shoot a bow though, even if those arrows of yours are magical."

"Here, I'll show you." First he helped Raven attach a vambrace to each of her arms, which would protect them while firing and from some attacks. He then drew an arrow from the quiver and placed it in its correct position on the bow string. He then handed it to Raven, "Draw it up so that the arrow is around your eye level and pull the string back with the arrow until it reaches your cheek. Good. Now focus completely on the centre of the door knob of the wardrobe and release both the string and arrow in one quick motion.

Raven did as she was instructed. Just before she released the arrow, she felt the Eye grow warm for a second. Her shoulders slumped as the arrow clearly sailed off in the completely wrong direction; Falcon must have been mistaken. Then, about a metre into the flight, the arrow drastically changed direction and, defying the laws of physics, landed slap bang in the middle of the handle. "Whoa."

"Glad you like it sis."

"How, _how_…?"

"I don't ask, I just agree. Your arrows won't run out, the Watchers will see to that, but you should try to retrieve them where possible." Falcon returned the arrow to the quiver and proceeded in showing Raven how to secure it in an easy to reach position, and how to sling the bow over her shoulder without damaging it.

"Here's your last weapon, a sword. It is named Peyjis, after its first owner. In our tongue, it means 'Tiny Army'; you'll understand why when you first wield it. It has belonged to every one of the Watchers born like you and was last used trying to defeat Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom. You will be able to use it, trust me."

Raven lifted the sword; it was long and had twice the width of a dagger. The hilt was gold and fitted easily into Raven's palm, while the blade was silver with strange symbols engraved down it, presumably saying Peyjis; it looked extremely sharp as it glinted in the bright white room. Falcon took it back and slid it into its sheath, then attached it to Raven's belt securely. Finally, he led her to the last pedestal. "Right, the last thing you need is a small pack."

"Are you trying to be funny? I can't carry any more!"

"You do _love_ complaining don't you? Here," Falcon produced a small satchel which he gave to Raven. She took the strap over her head, beneath the bow and quiver, and fastened it over one shoulder. In the end, it rested slightly behind her on the opposite side to her sword. "In there you'll find the basics. A clean shirt right at the bottom and a bar of soap – not that you'll get much of a chance to use it, or even change your clothes. Our mother is a great lover of elven culture, so she has packed you some lembas bread for emergencies. Only eat it if you can't get any food elsewhere. There is a tin of salve for cuts and also treatment for your sword and bow, all three are labelled, don't worry, and there are some pieces of cotton either for your sword or to bind wounds. You will also find a brush and some sugar- neither are for you. I would advise you to keep your hair braided back. Oh, and here's a water skin, the water around here's clean, so fill it up at every opportunity." Falcon attached the skin to Raven's belt.

For the first time, Raven was truly sincere, "Thanks Falcon, you've been a great help."

Falcon smiled, "You're very welcome sis. Now a few last points, firstly, seven days have passed and it's about a half an hour before sunrise, so the Fellowship will be leaving today. Secondly, the Watchers have given you a horse, a white mare and she's in the stables with the other horses. She's as strong and brave as a Rohan bred horse and as trustworthy and fleet of foot as a horse trained by elves. In fact, she's the offspring of both Mum and Dad's horses; like I said Mum likes elves. You'll know her name when you see her; you are bound to each other, with tempers to match. Lastly, I wish you all the luck in the world, and try not to die." Without warning, Falcon pulled her into a hug and almost pushed her out of the door.

Before she was turfed out, Raven turned to her brother, "When I get back, will I see all of you again, even Dad?"

"I'll make sure of it, I know you're the one who'll do this and remember, if all else fails, lie out of your teeth and deceive to your full potential, you are an actor after all, albeit a poor excuse for one."

Playfully hitting her brother, Raven hugged him once more, checked that all of her new belongings were secure, and turned out into the garden in search of the stables.

To Be Continued…


	6. Firelight Whispers

Author Notes: Hello again! Aren't you all so impressed with my updating skills? (cough, cough). Hugs to crazycatluver and prophet-song.

Chapter 6: Firelight Whispers

"Excuse me, could you show me where the stables are?" Raven asked a passing elf. He pointed her in the right direction, but she could tell he didn't like her new dress sense; if he reacted like that, she dreaded to think how the Fellowship would. Nevertheless, she nodded her thanks and made her way to the direction he had shown her.

After finally navigating the labyrinth of passageways, Raven made it to a large, ornate wooden building that was the Rivendell stables. "Right, so I'm looking for a horse. That should be easy, there's only like fifty!" Raven wandered past the stalls, trying to recognise the difference between them, "Okay people, well horses, apparently I'm working on a tight schedule here, so it would be really great if the one that's supposed to have a temper as bad as me would make themselves known." No answer; the horses all just looked at her in a very patronising way.

As Raven walked past the stalls, the Eye suddenly grew warm, making Raven stop. As there was no occupant in the left stall, she turned to the right, coming face to face with a pure white horse. Raven knew that horses supposedly couldn't be white, that they were always grey, but this horse had to be an exception to that rule. The horse's mane reminded her a lot of Shadowfax's, but she knew that this horse wasn't him. "Err…hi. I'm Raven, are you the one that's meant to be coming with me?" The horse tossed her head in a fashion that could have been taken for a nod, "Good enough for me."

Raven opened the stall and walked in. Now that she could see the whole horse, she found that it was not entirely white. On her left flank, there was a bizarre black splodge. It was mainly of a black circular shape, but from it spread eight tendrils of black fur. Raven lightly touched the strange mark, and then looked into the horse's eye that had turned to look at her, "Your name is Spider, isn't it?" Again, the horse tossed her head, and then nuzzled her nose into the crook of Raven's arm.

Throughout this, Raven had been smiling, but then she noticed that two very key pieces of equipment were missing, the saddle and bridle; her face fell immediately. "_Please_ tell me I'm not gonna be riding you bareback."

Raven could have sworn Spider was laughing at her, so she glared at her new companion. Spider then had the decency to look slightly ashamed and then took pity on Raven. The horse twisted her neck and poked Raven's boots with her nose. "Are you saying that because of these boots I can magically ride you? I may be in Middle Earth, but I am not stupid." At that point, Raven could have sworn Spider rolled her eyes.

The horse reached forwards and rested her nose on Raven's forehead. The Eye warmed once more, then began to get even hotter, and hotter and… "Alright! I get the point! Trust the damn horse! The horse is wise!" Raven had pulled away and was now glaring daggers at Spider, "If I fall off, you are so fired."

Raven placed two hands on Spider's back and bent her knees. In one fluid movement, Raven found herself on Spider, "Well that was different." Spider then began to walk forward, "Oi! Quit it! Stop! Halt! Cease moving!" Raven entwined her fingers into Spider's mane but the intolerable horse refused to listen and carried on out of the stable, "Okay, now you're just doing it to spite me. I never agreed to _moving_." However, to her surprise, her boots seemed to make her legs grip onto Spider, and so the pair trotted off to the gates of Rivendell, although to be fair, Raven had no idea where they were going.

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The pair made it to the gates just in time to catch Elrond's farewell speech, "The Ringbearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid, to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you." Elrond spread his arms and the Fellowship acknowledged him. 

Gandalf then spoke up, "The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer."

Seeing that they were about to leave, Raven made herself known, "Really? And there was me thinking you were waiting for me."

The looks on the faces of the 'wiser' members of the Fellowship and Elrond were priceless. Frodo on the other hand looked very pleased to see her, "Raven! Gandalf told me you had decided not to come. I am glad you are joining us."

"Did he?" Raven shot a very unladylike look at Gandalf, "There must have been a slight miscommunication along the line. Anyway, I think we should get going, don't you?"

Spider obediently walked forward and the rest of the Fellowship turned as Frodo began walking. She was stopped, however by Aragorn, "I told you, you are not coming, I cannot protect you."

Raven leaned sideways so that only Aragorn could hear her, "I'm coming whether you like it or not. I can protect myself far better than the Hobbits and you'll need all the help you can get. Besides, I've got a horse; you can hardly get rid of me." Smiling sweetly, Raven and Spider levelled with Sam and Bill; the Fellowship had departed.

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The Fellowship had been travelling all day, and now the sun was setting. Finally Gandalf called those wonderful words, "Alright, we'll set up camp for the night here."

Raven dismounted and left Spider with Bill, leaving threatening words of warning about waking her up in the middle of the night without reason; she had no doubt that horse was full of a hidden malice. Boromir lit a low fire because as they were in a small dip in the ground, it couldn't be seen. A small stew was cooked up by Aragorn which was shared around equally, although somehow Merry and Pippin still seemed to get a much larger portion; Sam was a bit more reserved and only ate a slightly larger portion. As the Fellowship began to settle down, Aragorn and Legolas took first watch. It was then that Raven realised that Frodo had only pretended to eat; a small bowl was hidden in a patch of weeds which she discovered as she was putting out the fire. Sighing, Raven filled a new bowl from the still warm pot and walked over to Frodo, who was sitting hunched up, wrapped in his cloak to the back of the group. Sitting down beside him, Raven handed Frodo the bowl, "You know, I can't protect you if you starve to death. Eat the stew, it's not that bad."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm not hungry."

"Don't make me threaten you with force feeding…"

"Alright," Frodo smiled weakly and began to eat, "I'm just nervous. I get the feeling that I shouldn't be here."

"Don't let what they said at the Council sway you, you're meant for this."

A small sound came over to them and Spider's head appeared on the other side of Frodo. He smiled and leaned against the horse's neck, stroking her, "What's her name?"

"Spider, although you shouldn't encourage her, I know she's here just to annoy me."

"She's beautiful," said Frodo softly. He leaned more as he stared off into space.

Sensing Frodo's discontent, Raven continued, "I promise I won't desert you; as long as me and Spider are here, that Ring is gonna fry."

Frodo smiled, "Thank you for supporting me at the Council."

"You're welcome, but I've been meaning to ask you, why did you let me come along? I thought this whole place had a sexist vibe going on, but you weren't like them."

"I knew you would help me. This is going to sound mad, but when I was younger, I caught a very bad fever. It must have been about eighteen years ago now. While I was ill, I received the strangest dreams. One of these dreams contained a beautiful woman. She wore clothes a lot like the ones you did at the Council and told me something I have never understood until recently. She said that one day, I would be involved in a great task and that, when that day came, I must trust only a few people. One of the people she told me to trust was a girl who would bear a necklace exactly like the one you wear. She told me this girl would help me. When I recovered from the fever, I thought myself foolish, but as soon as I saw you, I knew that the girl she spoke of was you."

"I was born eighteen years ago. Obviously, Frodo Baggins, our fates have been decided for quite a while, even though both of us have only recently come into possession of the Ring and the necklace."

Spider snorted and looked pointedly at Raven; Frodo's eyes were drooping. "I would suggest, Frodo, that you get some sleep, we've been travelling all day."

Taking the empty bowl from the Hobbit, both she and Spider helped lie the now sleeping Frodo down and cover him up. Spider then returned to Bill while Raven moved to return the bowl to the fireside. She determinedly avoided looking at Gandalf; his habit of sleeping with his eyes open just freaked her out. As she stood, staring at the remaining fire embers, Aragorn approached her, "That was a good thing you just did for Frodo. He has been worrying since the Council and Sam has said he has not been eating much."

"Can you blame him? He didn't exactly get the warmest of receptions when he volunteered."

"I know. I apologise for my actions earlier, Raven. Perhaps you are more capable than I first thought."

Raven snorted, and then lowered her voice so as not to wake anybody, "Thanks, I guess. That's one more member of the Fellowship on my side; five out of nine isn't too bad I s'pose."

"Legolas and Gimli do not think ill of you and Gandalf will come around, I am sure; he is very wise. As to Boromir, I believe he is still holding a grudge from the Council, but I believe he too will warm to you in time." Aragorn turned and placed a hand on Raven's shoulder, "You are truly a member of the Fellowship now Raven. Now, I would advise you also to get some sleep, it would not do for you to fall asleep on that horse of yours tomorrow; I'm sure she would not appreciate it. You do not have watch tonight, so I bid you Goodnight."

"G'night Aragorn, though personally, I firmly believe that horse can get over it if I fall asleep, she won the last round and I am determined to win the next."

As he watched Raven settle down, Aragorn shook his head with a crooked smile and returned to his post; she was indeed a strange one.

To Be Continued…

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Author Notes: Please review people! You know you want to! Please! Just press the button below! I'm desperate here! I'd love it if it was one word long!


	7. Crebain and Rapid

Author Notes: Hello again! I asked for reviews and I got them. Woo! Thank you all.

**Crecy: **I know! Me too, I'm appalling at archery.

**Reggie Tuesday**: Flipping 'eck, thank you so much. Three reviews? Wow.

**Ruby the Troll:** Thank you very much for your review, I'm glad you like my writing style; most people think I go on too much. In answer to your Mary Sue comments – I was very aware it was going into Marysuedom. Even though I tried to keep it as far away as possible, the beginning was always going to be kind of cliché. After all, it was either 'girl gets dropped into ME' or use some random OC from Gondor or Rohan which I didn't want because then there'd be even less chance she would have coped with the Fellowship. I promise she is never gonna fall in love with Legolas; my friend would kill me as she has dibs on him.

Now that I've done the cliché parts of my story, I welcome the readers to my weird twisted mind. You want original, you got it, although as my English teacher will tell you – whenever I write originally, some mythology has got to be in there somewhere. My author's notes will return to their usual shortness next chapter. So, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Crebain and Rapid

The Fellowship had been travelling for a long time now, and still nothing overly unusual had happened. It was coming up to lunch as, for the first time in a while, Raven recognised a landmark; an outcrop of sandy coloured rocks. The Fellowship soon was making a beeline for it and it was not long until they were getting settled for a short rest. "Err…Raven? How do we get down?" It was Pippin. Thanks to her boots, Raven had thought it a better idea to let the Hobbits, in pairs, ride Spider; it would make the travelling easier on them. It had taken a lot of persuading to convince them that they should ride though, and not a woman – Hobbits definitely were a race with very good manners.

With the help of Boromir, Merry and Pippin were soon on the ground and stuffing their faces. Raven settled herself next to Aragorn and got ready for the show. Sure enough, Boromir was soon teaching the two pair of overly energetic Hobbits how to swordfight. Aragorn seemed to be finding it hilarious, but was still encouraging them: "Move your feet!"

The show went on for a while, until Boromir accidentally nicked Pippin's hand, "Ow!"

"Sorry!"

In retaliation, Pippin kicked Boromir in the shin, and then Merry joined in, "Get him!"

The three of them were soon in a mock battle on the ground. It was very funny to watch, especially when the two Hobbits managed to flip the Heir of Gondor onto his back when he tried to break it up.

The atmosphere was then ripped apart with a knife wielded by Sam, "What is that?"

"Nothing, it's just a whiff of cloud." Gimli, ever the wise.

"It's moving fast…against the wind." Raven tensed, ready to move.

"Crebain from Dunland!"

With various cries, the Fellowship hid in a matter of seconds. The screeching of throats more raw than a corpse filled the sky as the black winged creatures sailed overhead. As it faded, Raven prepared to dislodge herself from the rock under which she had found cover, when a horrible, inhuman cry filled her hearing. At first, she thought it to be a Nazgûl, then, as she listened more closely, the cry turned to a laughter that made her blood curdle. Another cry joined it, Aragorn's, "Back, creature, or I will have your head!"

The laughter rose, and Raven heard the beating of wings accompanied with a howl of terror. Raven had had enough. Scrambling out from her place of hiding, she stood to see a horrendous creature, with metallic wings and bronze talons carrying Frodo up into the sky. Grabbing his own bow, Aragorn called to the other two archers of the company, "Legolas, Raven, bring her down!"

Three arrows flew into the sky. The first two missed as the creature dodged them in a blur, but the third veered off with the creature which responded with a thunderous cry. It dropped Frodo and caught the arrow before it could come into contact; at its touch, the arrow crumbled to dust.

The creature turned sharply in the air to face the Fellowship. It had the general look of a woman, but the clawed feet and ink-black feathered wings stopped any cases of mistaken identity. She focused her attention a Raven and then the Watcher child was lost. The sounds around her dimmed as she became encompassed by the creature's violet eyes, then, dropping her bow, Raven turned tail and ran. She didn't get very far as the creature was even faster than her; she was brought down in a midst of rock and feathers. Some reason came to her as she lashed out with her knife, gashing the creature's arm, but the attack would not relent. Suddenly, with a pounding of hooves, the creature was off her; Spider had kicked it off. In the second it was dazed, Boromir cut off its head in one clean motion. Detachedly, Raven watched the head roll.

What seemed like an age passed, and then she was pulled to her feet, by Gandalf, "Are you hurt?"

"I'll be fine," Her voice sounded strange and she refused to meet his eyes, "I don't think the talons were poisoned."

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It took a while for everyone to recover. Out of all of them, Aragorn had sustained the most injuries trying to protect Frodo. Frodo and Raven weren't perfect either, but luckily, Frodo hadn't been dropped from too great a height and the talons had turned out not to be poisoned.

For the past half hour, Raven had been staring at it. She knew what it was now, the Eye had told her. It was one of the three sisters; the Harpies. This one had been the weakest, but the fastest and had been named Rapid until its death. Its kind had given themselves in service to Saruman and Sauron, and they were an enemy of the Watchers. After informing Gandalf as to what it was, Raven went in search of Frodo. "Are you alright?"

Frodo turned and studied her for a second before answering, "Are you?"

Smiling weakly she replied, "Me? I'm fine, just enjoying being a burden."

"You're not a burden Raven, you helped to try and save me."

"Yeah, and I missed. I then ran away from it."

"All of you missed, even Legolas and he's an elf."

Raven looked out over the plains from which they had just come, "Maybe."

Frodo was about to reply, when, "Frodo! I want to take one more look at your head before we go on to Caradhras."

Sighing, Frodo went off to see Doctor Gandalf, leaving Raven to ponder alone. A soft breath at her side informed her that Spider had joined her, "Hey. Thanks for earlier."

Spider nuzzled her ear telling her she was welcome. "You know," began Raven, "I'm beginning to think they were right. I mean, that was just one enemy, what I am gonna be like when I get to Moria, or meet those white hand orc things by the river? I'll freeze up and die, or worse, I'll get someone else killed. Mum was wrong. This isn't meant for me. It's probably that guy like Falcon who's supposed to do this."

Spider shook her head, obviously not agreeing, seeing where this was going. "I think I'm better off back in Rivendell. Gandalf was right, the Fellowship should be nine, not ten." Raven rose to her feet, mind made up. Spider was clearly annoyed, but compliant as Raven mounted.

"Raven, what are you doing? We're not leaving just yet."

Damn. Frodo was back. She had hoped to get out unnoticed. "I'm leaving Frodo. I'm going back. Good luck with the Quest."

"What! But you promised you'd protect me! You can't leave now. I can't do this alone."

"You're not alone; you have Sam and the Fellowship. Don't even let it cross your mind to follow me, though I doubt they'd let you. Bye Frodo."

Spider leapt into a gallop and the pair tore back across the plains from where they had travelled only a while ago. As the wind whistled in her ears, Raven caught Frodo's cry to Aragorn, and hoped that if she ever saw him again, he'd understand. So that was it.

Nine there were set out from Rivendell, yet one returned.

To Be Continued…

(Mwah ha ha! Bet you didn't see that one coming!)


	8. Decisions

Author Notes: Here's the next chapter. I hope I got Tolkien's character right.

Italics are either a memory or a song.

Disclaimer: I have taken text directly for The Fellowship book. I own zero except for Raven.

Chapter 8: Decisions

Tears ran freely down Raven's cheeks as she rode. What was she to do now? Even if she went back to Rivendell, she could hardly spend the rest of her life there and say she was content. On top of that, what would her family say? They all knew her supposed destiny and now probably wouldn't want to know her at all.

Raven was jerked out of her self pity by a cry that broke through the other nightly sounds. This, however, was no piteous cry for help, it was the cry of a creature that would not call for help even if it needed it; an orc. More cries joined it and then Raven had a horrible revelation - she was being hunted. Spider began to get jittery, "Oh god…"

Raven didn't even need to kick Spider into a gallop, the horse did it all by herself. The screeches grew louder and louder, until they drowned out the sound of the hooves. How many of these orcs were there? Then it happened; in the blink of an eye, Raven had been tackled off Spider. Lashing out, she elbowed the vile creature in the face, stunning it. Whether the next act was her improving aim, or merely instinct, she cut the orc's throat. Spider had skidded around, changing her course to pick up her charge. Not needing to be told twice, Raven leapt up and jumped onto Spider. The infuriated orcs did not give up and gave chase. Orcs, however, are not known for their endurance and, after a short pursuit, they began to fall back. In a last ditch effort, the remaining orcs released a volley of arrows. Most went wide from the horse and rider, but one found its mark.

Spider increased her pace as she heard a pained outcry from her rider. She did not stop, even when she felt Raven's grip on her mane slip. She only stopped when no screeches could be heard, and the eastern sky had begun to glow with the first rays of morning. The pair had finally come to a halt in a small copse of trees, which Spider had deemed to be a good place of hiding. As soon as Spider had stopped, Raven's boots released their grip, the only thing that had been keeping her on the horse, and she fell to the ground. Now that Spider could see, she saw that an orc arrow had imbedded itself in Raven's leg. The arrow was obviously poisoned as, during the course of the flight from their enemies, Raven's breathing had grown shallower and her face was pale; covered in a sheen of sweat.

Raven felt only pain and the sensation of detachedness. Ever since the arrow had struck, she had been floating in and out of consciousness, either from blood loss or poison. As she fell to the ground, Raven gave in; slipping into what she thought to be a sleep she would not wake up from.

In must be noted, however, that children of the Watchers are not so easily foiled and, although none of their kin are able to aid them, the Eye with which they are given at birth will do all in its power to make sure its namesake survives. And so it was that the Raven's Eye began its song. It sang of fire, sun and moon and the song carried over countries of men, elves and all other manner of races to reach the ears of the intended. The Eye gave its song to the wind, to fly over hill and plain; lake and brook; over barrow-downs and through the branches of ancient willow trees…

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Raven stirred to the soft song of a kind soul. The only indication of her injury was a dull throb where the arrow had entered her leg. Not wanting to open her eyes, Raven listened to the song that had raised her heart.

_Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,_

_Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow._

_None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master:_

_His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster._

The song gave Raven courage; courage to re-welcome the world. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the copse in which she had fallen. Grazing serenely, next to an old pony Raven did not recognise, was Spider. Smiling and skipping about merrily was a strange fellow, dressed exactly like the song had described. He had rosy cheeks and a brown beard and, dappled in the afternoon sun, gave Raven the impression of one of the kindly creatures you hear about as a child.

On seeing Raven looking at him, fully awake, the man came over, "Hey! Come merry dol! Derry dol! My hearty!"

"Err…morning to you too. I'm Raven, and you are..?"

"Tom Bombadil at your service, Lady Watcher." He accompanied this with a low bow.

Tom Bombadil? Raven had never heard of him. Or had she? As her brain began to organise itself, a memory surfaced. It was one of her and Emma outside the cinema, just having seen the Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. Emma had clearly enjoyed it to the nth degree, but just as clearly enjoyed picking it apart.

"_Oh my god! That was so cool! We have to go and see it again."_

"_No we don't! I hardly saw it the first time with you whispering in my ear throughout it. I can't sit through it again."_

"_But it was so different. I really wish they hadn't put Boromir's death in it, though. No, wait, I suppose it did fit."_

"_Gawd, make up your mind Em."_

"_There is one thing, I wish they'd put Tom in, and the Old Forest, that was my favourite part of the book."_

"_Who and the what?"_

"_Tom. Tom Bombadil. He's this guy that helps the Hobbits get to Bree. He lives in the Old Forest. I love all of the songs he sings and Goldberry."_

"_Riiiggghhhtt…"_

If he was anything like Emma had said, he couldn't be all bad; he certainly didn't feel it. After all, who else could have healed Raven but he? "Well, it's nice to meet you, but I should really get going."

"Where to Lady? To the Fellowship? To fair Imladris? Or perhaps, your heart wishes to return to the home that it has only ever known; the only one it can remember?"

"To Rivendell, I can never go home."

"Or perhaps you know that you should not."

"I don't know what to do, Tom. I'm not made for this. I can't go forward or back. I'm not what the Watchers want me to be." Did she just tell him that?

"You have always been of indecision, have you not Lady Watcher? You have always been the cautious one."

"No offence Tom, but you don't know me."

"I know that when you were younger in classes, you would fear to touch chemicals or the flame used for experiments. I know that if you saw a strange insect near you, you would look it up in a book to check if it was poisonous, worried that it had bitten you. I know that you fear heights."

Said like that, it really did sound cowardly. Casting her eyes away, Raven asked softly, "How?"

"I am a friend of the Watchers; I can see them when they stray into my domain and as such, I know your mother. You should not be ashamed child, for when you were younger still you had courage. All children do, although some loose their courage earlier than others and some not at all. You just need to retrieve that which you lost."

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm not like the people from here,_ I_ can't do this alone."

"Then go home, and find your courage. I'm sure it is in the town you left it. Find solace in those you know."

Raven, who had only been partially paying attention, whirled around, "What did you say?"

But Tom just smiled his twinkling smile; it was the last thing Raven saw before she was taken in a swirl of colour and sound.

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She landed with a thud against a very hard tree. Raven only had just enough time to make it to the bushes before she threw up. "I must be getting used to this," muttered Raven, "I'm not unconscious." At the time, it never crossed Raven's mind why the Eye had not grown warm.

Raven staggered to her feet, using the tree for support, and looked around. If the tree had not been there, Raven would have fallen over again. She was back in the park, the sound of traffic not too far away. She was wearing the same clothes as she had been before the nightmare started and coming towards her, free of all the wackiness that Raven had experienced in the past few weeks, was none other than Emma.

"Hey! I'm glad I caught you. I almost forgot to give you this. I know I could have brought it round later, but you know me, I would have forgotten." Smiling, Emma produced a small document, "It's great! Really, I've checked all of the grammar and spelling and it's fine, great opening too."

"Thanks." Still in a daze, Raven took the document off of Emma. It was the beginning of a script she had been working on, plus the analysis. Due to the fact that she was slow at typing, Raven always hand wrote her work and Emma proof read it; she said it was good practice.

"Are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, um, I'm not feeling up to going out tonight if you don't mind Em. I um… I have to go."

"Whoa," Emma grabbed her arm, knowing something was up, "If we're not going out – great! So you're coming round mine instead."

"What? Emma no!" Raven's protests went unheeded as she was dragged off by her best friend.

By the time they got to Emma's house, Raven had calmed down a bit. "Hey Mum! I'm home! I've brought Rach back and we're not going out anymore." Unfortunately for Emma, her mum was close at hand to catch her before she made it to the haven of her bedroom.

"Hold on. First of all, what did you get?"

"Oh, err…I got 90 per cent, isn't that great!" Emma's mum continued to glare, "80? 70? Oh alright! I got 65, happy?"

"No. You're very lucky you decided to stay in tonight because you wouldn't have gone out anyway. Happy Birthday by the way, Rachel."

Birthday? Oh right, back at home again, "Thanks Jane."

"I presume you're staying for dinner?" The previous persona of Jane Richards had dissipated and was replaced by a kindly woman who was all smiles.

"'Course she is Mum, when doesn't she? C'mon Rach." Emma pulled her friend into her room.

The pair settled down on Emma's bed. "So. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"Nothing? I leave you for three minutes and you completely zone out on me!"

"Emma, could you just leave it? I just felt a bit light-headed." It was true, for the most part.

Emma still didn't believe her, but she gave up all the same. The pair spent the rest of the time chatting and mucking about until Jane called up the stairs, "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes guys!"

"We should phone the others; tell them clubbing of the menu."

"Don't bother, I texted them earlier. Before we go down, I've got your present."

"Emma! I told you not to get me one. Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say I don't want presents?"

"Because we all now deep down that you do, and we have you welfare to think about." Emma began digging around in her draws until she found what she was looking for, "If it's any consolation, I didn't get you a card."

Raven tore open the packaging to reveal a charm bracelet, "You got it fixed!"

"Yeah, wasn't easy neither."

The charm bracelet was one of a pair. When they had been in primary school, they had gone on a school trip to the Natural History Museum. In the souvenir shop, neither of them had had enough money (children had only been allowed to bring £1) to get a decent souvenir. Emma had come up with a brainwave at that point, and had insisted they both buy a tiny – and they really were tiny, only 3cm long – dinosaur. The significance being that Rachel had been terrified that the exhibits would fall down on her and come alive. When they had got home, Emma had taken both of the dinosaurs to her parents and had returned three days later with a silver bracelet for each of them. All the way along the bracelet were little clasps upon which things could be glued; the dinosaur occupied one of these spaces. Over the years, the pair collected tiny trinkets and super glued them on, until Rachel's had broken a few months ago.

"You've added something." It was a small heart shaped locket. Inside was a miniature sticker taken in a photo booth of Rachel and Emma, while in the other side was writing in – oh it would have been, "Elvish? Are you ever gonna give it a rest?"

"It says friends forever, in a round-a-bout way."

Even though Raven displayed outward gratitude and affection, her insides were yet again squirming with guilt, but before she had a chance to dwell, Jane called back up the stairs, "Are you lot deaf? Dinner's on the table!"

The pair made their way downstairs. As she passed Emma's wardrobe, Raven made sure to avert her eyes; the film poster of the Fellowship gave her the creeps.

As the three of them sat down – Emma's Dad worked late and Chris was in London – Rachel noticed that Ryan, Emma's younger brother by six years, was missing, "I'll go get him shall I?" It was a common known fact that Ryan rarely responded to calls, even if they related to food, he was in a world of his own.

Knocking on his door, Raven called, "Ryan! Get your arse out here, it's Rav- it's Rachel!" Being an honouree member of the family, Raven was allowed to insult him.

Giving up, Raven pushed open his door. "Does the word 'food' even penetrate your mind Ryan?" She stopped. He was sitting down, on the floor, watching Frodo. Right now, Raven agreed with Chris more than ever – the two younger members of the Richards household _really _needed to quit it with the Lord of the Rings obsessing. Averting her eyes, Raven focused on Ryan and literally picked him up.

"Oi! I'm watching!"

"You'll get over it. Scoot downstairs, you never know, the pasta might be shaped like characters from Lord of the Rings." Glaring, Ryan still didn't move.

"You'll never get it."

"What is there to get? Some people go risk their lives to destroy the embodiment of evil."

"I wish I was there."

"No you don't, trust me."

"I do! It would be so cool, meeting elves, going on a Quest-"

"-Getting hunted, killed…"

Ryan shrugged, "Your point?" He then hopped downstairs.

"I'll turn the T.V off shall I?"

Raven made sure not to look at the characters, but she couldn't block out the sound. As she made to turn it off, Frodo spoke, "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Then Gandalf spoke, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

Raven paused, no longer listening to the characters. Tom was right; children do have courage, even if it be foolhardy. As Frodo and Gandalf's words sunk in, Raven slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, mind made up. She dashed downstairs, "I'm sorry, Dad just called me, I've got to go. Thanks anyway"

"Sure hon, have a nice birthday."

Emma was not so easily placated, but as she ran out of the door, her friend was no where to be seen.

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Raven landed with a thud, "Oww!" On the upside, she didn't throw up.

"Hey! Merry dol!"

"Thanks Tom."

"Always pleased to assist. So how did you enjoy the journey? I'm told the Watcher way of travel is worse."

"Huh? Wait, _you _transported me?" Touching the Eye confirmed as such.

Tom smiled, "Always happy to assist when the Watchers cannot," he repeated, "Now I must bid you farewell. Be bold, but wary! Keep up your merry heart, and ride to meet your fortune! Come Fatty Lumpkin!"

With that, Tom leapt on the pony and trotted off, singing to himself. Raven shook her head and motioned to Spider. "Come on, we've got to catch up with the Fellowship. Who knows how far they've got?"

Of course Spider knew. Although Raven would never find out, Spider had, in fact, been doubling back on herself hoping her mistress would change her mind; in truth, they were only a mile or two away from the outcrop of rocks. Now that she was racing at full speed, they would catch up with the Fellowship on Caradhras in no time.

To Be Continued…

Author Notes: Wow! My longest chapter ever! PLEASE, PLEASE, _PLEASE _REVIEW! I really want to know what you think.


	9. The Mind's Eye

Author Notes: Okay, so I'm a bit late. Well, majorly late actually, but the point is I'm here now and will never have to do french, maths, science or any other evil subject again, yay! Anyway, here is my next chapter, that's been a long time coming. Thanks to Reggie Tuesday for not giving up on me!

Chapter 9: The Mind's Eye

To say it was cold was an understatement to the extreme. Raven and Spider had been following the Fellowship for the better part of the day and were getting close, much to Spider's relief; Raven had been entertaining herself by asking 'Are we there yet?' every five seconds.

Finally, the Fellowship came to view on the side of a mountain, not too far ahead up the track. By now, Raven knew Legolas could see her, but she was unsure of the others - then something caught her eye. A small, dark bundle rolled down the slope and came to a halt near a tall man. Uh oh; cue Boromir's alter ego. Urging Spider forwards on a track parallel to the Fellowship's, Raven got close enough to hear them and see their faces. As far as she could tell, everyone was too absorbed in Aragorn, Frodo and Boromir to notice her; except Legolas of course.

"Boromir!" Aragorn broke Boromir out of his trace with the Ring, "Give the Ring to Frodo."

Boromir, however, seemed to have other plans, as he drew the ring closer to himself; Aragorn's grip on his sword grew tighter. Raven sighed, why was it always Boromir that had to make her life difficult? Drawing an arrow, Raven focused on a particular link in the chain Boromir was holding, one close to his hand. Releasing the bow string, Raven watched with satisfaction as both chain and Ring were ripped from Boromir's grasp and imbedded in the snow with the arrow.

Silence reigned. The whole Fellowship remained frozen, as if Caradhras had finally captured them. Raven trotted over and wrenched both arrow and ring out of the snow. She then proceeded to dismount and hand the ring to Frodo, grinning. Finally, she turned to Boromir, waving the business end of the arrow inches from his nose, "For once in your life, keep your dirty mitts of that Ring. Touch it again, hell, even look at it again and you'll have me to answer to."

At the risk of being speared with an arrow, Boromir merely nodded. Turning to the rest of the Fellowship, Raven spoke up, "Hey guys, change of plan, I've decided to stick around after all! What do you think about that, my derry dols?" Winking at Frodo, who was now a lot happier that the Ring was back in his possession, Raven turned on her heel and began to lead the Fellowship.

Frodo grinned to the other Hobbits, they all knew what had happened to Raven in her absence. The others looked at her as if she had gone mad. Aragorn was the first to rise from his stupor; "It is well to have you back, my lady"

Raven snorted at the title, and proceeded to lift Frodo and Sam onto Spider with the help of Legolas. All set, the once again complete Fellowship continued their path up the mountain.

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The Fellowship forced their way along a narrow ledge in the raging blizzard. Raven's stomach was twisted in knots; who knew what kind of omitted information awaited them. She spared a glare for Legolas, who happily pranced on top of the snow without sinking in. Then, the words she had been dreading danced in on the wind. Although they were likely much fainter to her ears than Legolas' or Gandalf's, she got the gist; Saruman was making his presence felt.

"There is a fell voice on the air!"

"It's Saruman!"

Raven heard a sickening crack from above their heads as an avalanche of rock and ice broke away, "Against the cliff! _Now!_"

Not needing to be told twice, everyone threw themselves against the rock face, and out of range of the projectiles. Aragorn yelled at Gandalf, "He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!"

This was ridiculous, "Gandalf! Listen to me, you can't fight a mountain! We have to turn back while we're all still in one piece!"

Gandalf refused to listen, however, and instead he went to the edge of the cliff and started chanting back in the same language. Suddenly, the Raven's Eye warmed against her frosted skin, whispering. Raven was not impressed by what she heard, "_You what?_ I think the cold's getting to you mate. I can't do that!"

Unfortunately for Raven, Spider, who had been sheltering with Bill, took that moment to rummage in Raven's quiver and pull out an arrow. "Are you psychic or something?" Raven gave in, "Alright, but how this is gonna work I'll never know"

Raven drew an arrow and shut out the world. She took herself back to the film, where the audience could see both what was happening to the Fellowship and Saruman on his tower. Picturing Saruman in her mind's eye, she focused on his head, the only part of him she could think of in detail. Taking a breath, Raven released the arrow, which shot off into the storm.

Lightning shattered the sky and imbedded itself in the mountain. In an instant, the Fellowship were buried. After a moment, each member dug themselves out. With bated breath, Raven waited for the chanting to begin again; it never did. Unbeknownst to her, on the top of Orthanc, a single arrow had wizzed past Saruman before he could begin chanting again. It seemed that the Eye's ploy worked almost as well as when the archer can see their target, but depended on the shooter to be more of a fan of the film for a really accurate result. Nevertheless, it distracted Saruman enough for the fellowship to decide where to go; they were bound for Moria.

To Be Continued…

Author Notes: Sorry about the shortness folks, the next few may be like that. PLEASE let me know what you thought! I really want to know!


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